Tag: halawa

“There is a remarkable breakdown of taste and intelligence at Christmastime. Mature, responsible grown men wear neckties made of holly leaves and drink alcoholic beverages with raw egg yolks and cottage cheese in them.”– P.J. O’Rourke

There were a lot many troubles going on for the last couple of weeks. My internet connection broke, and then the computer got virus infected and crashed. Above all my Masters first semester exams was going on. The net result, I was not able to write a post for almost a month now. At last hopefully everything is fine now, and back to form.
When it comes to a big get together, or a year end weekend party there has to be a mouthwatering and tempting dessert at the end of the dinner menu. It was my mom and sister’s birthday on 24th, and so the house was packed with guests and relatives. Searching through Sanjeev Kapoor’s book on microwave cooking got hold of an easy way of cooking carrot pudding, the better way to call it – Gajar ka Halwa. The preparation turned out to be a very tasty one. I used the sugar free, as most of the family members are diabetic.

There is something very peculiar about this winter season. The weather is so dull and dry, but the veggies and fruits you get at this time of the year are so colorful. These days I just love going to the farmer’s market, shopping for vegetables – all of them looking so colorful and vibrant. The carrots in there bright reddish orange tinge are a must buy this season. Gajar halwa is best prepared with Delhi carrots, the ones that are long and reddish in color. Carrots are very good for the eyes due to the high amount of Vitamin A present.

Serving: 6Preparation time: 15minCooking time: 20min

Ingredients:

Carrots (Gajar): 1kg

Milk (Dudh): 1 ½ litre

Sugar (Chini): ½ cup

Khoya: 200gms

Clarified Butter (Ghee): 2 tablespoons

Cardamom (Elaichi): 3-4 powdered

Almonds (Kaath Badam): 12-14

Raisins (Kismis): 2 tablespoons, soaked

Preparation:

Put the almonds in a microwave safe bowl and pour in water till they are covered fully. Microwave high uncovered for 3-4min. Take them out and cool those down till you can hold the nuts, peel off and chop into thin slices, keep aside.

Take the grated carrots in a microwave safe deep bowl and mix well with 1 ½ tablespoon of ghee. Microwave high covered for 10min, or till they become soft. Stir once or twice in between

Pour in the milk and again microwave high covered for 8-10mins, stirring once or twice in between.

Add the sugar and khoya and cook in microwave high uncovered for 5-6min

Take out and garnish with almonds, and raisins

Hot tips – While grating the carrots, it’s better to leave out the hard middle part of the carrot. You can put in a little coloring agent, to have the bright color of the halwa.